After the kiss: A Hinny Missing Moment
by racketeer
Summary: A cute, realistic little one-shot of what happened after the infamous common room kiss: my interpretation of how Harry and Ginny got together.


After the kiss

_A roar of celebration erupted from the hole behind her. Harry gaped as people began to scream at the sight of him; several hands pulled him into the room._

_'We won!' yelled Ron, bounding into sight and brandishing the silver Cup at Harry. 'We won! Four hundred and fifty to a hundred and forty! We won!'_

_Harry looked around; there was Ginny running towards him; she had a hard, blazing look in her face as she threw her arms around him. And without thinking, without planning it, without worrying about the fact that fifty people were watching, Harry kissed her._

_After several long moments - or it might have been half an hour – or possibly several sunlit days – they broke apart. The room had gone very quiet. Then several people wolf-whistled and there was an outbreak of nervous giggling. Harry looked over the top of Ginny's head to see Dean Thomas holding a shattered glass in his hand and Romilda Vane looking as though she might throw something. Hermione was beaming, but Harry's eyes sought Ron. At last he found him, still clutching the cup and wearing an expression appropriate to having been clubbed over the head. For a fraction of a second they looked at each other, then Ron gave a tiny jerk of the head that Harry understood to mean, 'Well – if you must.' _

_The creature inside his chest roaring in triumph, Harry grinned down at Ginny and gestured wordlessly out of the portrait hole. A long walk in the grounds seemed indicated, during which – if they had time – they might discuss the match._

The excited buzz of our fellow Gryffindor's started up again just as we stepped through the portrait (I was careful not to help her down; remembering the night she and Dean broke up). As a particularly loud, envious voice - to be recognised as Romilda's - was heard above the rest, I felt Ginny tense slightly, as though in preparation for a confrontation. As predicted she made to turn around, but I bravely enveloped her small hand in my own, giving it a small, comforting squeeze when she didn't instantly pull away. Success. She stopped in her tracks and that radiant smile returned as the portrait swung shut, now bearing an addition; Violet.

'You're leaving so soon?' Violet called after them nosily. 'As two members of the winning team, I'd of thought you could at least be bothered to celebrate!'

'Oh, we are celebrating,' Ginny replied, with a familiar devious glint in those beautiful chocolate brown eyes of hers. I felt a tug at my hand and understood. She wanted as much as I did to get out of the suddenly stuffy corridors, with the gossiping eyes of the paintings following us with every step we took.

I led Ginny to my favourite Oak tree, overlooking the Black Lake in the deserted grounds, the remains of the soft summer air hovering loosely. As I made to sit down at my usual spot -along the base of the trunk - Ginny stopped me, and I spun around to face her, wondering if she had anywhere better to go.

'What was that?' Ginny asked in a tone different from her usual dominant, sarcastic one. She was clearly trying to conquer her emotions so that none would flow on to her stunningly pale, freckled face. Trust me; I know a lot about conquering and hiding emotions.

'Oh, well, I just thought we could, you know, maybe sit down and... talk?' I replied falteringly. I wasn't usually quite this nervous around Ginny, but admittedly I was growing worried. She hadn't said a word on the way down here and sure, it wasn't an uncomfortable silence – more of a foreign one. Had I done something wrong? Overstepped the mark by kissing her, in front of everybody? And then dragging her away from her well-deserved victory party? Had she only humoured me and followed me here to reject me?

'No, I meant back in the common room.' she laughed. Laughing – a good sign… right? Or maybe she was laughing at me. Ah. That would be awkward. And potentially humiliating. Either way I didn't know what to reply, so after a few moments she carried on, 'You kissed me, remember? Or have you forgotten?'

'No, I remember,' I assured her. She raised her eyebrows – a sign of danger. 'D-didn't you want me to..? I shouldn't have - Merlin Ginny, I'm so sorr-'

'Don't be ridiculous. Of course I wanted you to,' she frowned. 'That's the problem.'

She wanted me to, but that was problematic… what?

'I'm lost,' I admitted and sat down with my back against the tree, cursing myself for being so dismally inexperienced in this particular area. How many times had I imagined this moment? I should have planned ahead; then this could have gone more smoothly. Where was Hermione when you needed her?

'Well that makes two of us,' Ginny sighed and plonked herself down next to me ungracefully. 'I've liked you since forever, but I think you know that. I thought I'd gotten over it, but apparently not. So before anything else, answer this: why did you kiss me?'

She likes me? Did I just hear correctly? My mind was having a party, and I paused for a few seconds, dumbfounded. Ginny likes me! Yes!

Okay, now to answer a potentially important question, why did I kiss her? Pretty stupid thing to do really, wasn't it? Lots of things could have gone wrong… but she likes me! I barely registered my next words as my mind was all frazzled, just answering honestly, 'I kissed you because, well, I don't really know. You were running towards me,-and we'd just won- and you looked so pretty, and I don't know! I guess the opportunity just came. I wasn't really thinking-'

I stopped. Ginny was looking at me with such disappointment that I couldn't continue. I had said something wrong, that was the first thing I'd been sure of since I'd walked into Gryffindor Common Room twenty minutes ago. She made to stand up, frowning, but I caught her arms and gently pulled her back down, spinning her to face me.

She refused to meet my eyes. 'Let me go Harry,' she demanded, but I had learnt enough knowledge from Hermione to be aware that that was the last thing I was supposed to do.

'What's wrong?'

'Let me get something clear,' uh oh. She looked angry and hurt. Not a good combination. 'I'm not some kind of broom-closet-girl, Harry. I know you walked in on Dean and I, but when you kiss somebody it should be because it _means_ something, not just because you could, or because the 'opportunity arose'. You ought to have known at least that much about me.'

I couldn't believe that that was what she was getting at. I was so relieved that I let out a low chuckle, before pulling her involuntarily into a hug. She likes me!

Once she stopped struggling and drooped into my embrace, I noticed that her hair smelt familiar.

_Treacle tart, a broomstick, and something flowery that I thought I might have smelled at the Burrow._

It was Ginny that I had smelt in my Amortentia.

Elated, feeling courageous I replied, 'Ginny, I completely agree.'

'You do? But why-'

'You asked me why I kissed you,' I cut her off. 'Not whether I wanted to, because Ginny, believe me, I've wanted to do that for at least a year, and it was better than I could have imagined,' I wanted to say "and I've imagined it a lot" but that would have been creepy. 'And I promise, it wasn't some sort of experiment, or for my personal enjoyment - although I must say, it was rather enjoyable – but because every time I see you, I lose all rational sense of thought. You make me stop and stare, and I can't think of anything else. So back there I saw you, combined with the happiness of Quidditch, there was only one thing for it.'

Ginny's eyes widened, before the narrowed visibly. 'Has anyone put you up to this? My brothers, friends?'

'No,' I assured her, laughing as I did so. 'I like you. I'm telling the truth.'

She looked bemused and mulled it over for a few moments, 'Who am I to argue with that?' She smiled, then turned to meet me and I saw the look of wonderment in her eyes. 'Why?' She asked, 'Why now?'

'You don't see me as the Chosen One,' I said simply.

'Oh, well if I'd have known that was all it took,' Ginny rolled her eyes jestingly and I laughed again. I did that a lot with her.

'You were one of the only ones who believed in me last year.'

'Of course I di-"

'You're brave, loyal and strong. When you talk to me it's easy and fun, leaving me wanting more, yet not pretentiously. Over the summer when I stayed with you at Grimmauld Place I got to know you for the first time, and I was surprised to find that Ron's Sister could make me roll around with laughter; make me smile when I thought I had no reason to. You gave me reason to.'

Ginny leaned back so she was resting on the grass with her elbows propping up, and tried to smother her smile, 'Who'd have thought you could be so mushy?'

I acted instinctively, sitting next to her, and answered her question by pressing my lips against her full, pink, firm ones. I broke apart after feeling her smile against my peck, chuckling at her omnipotent grin. Funnily enough, it greatly resembled my goofy one from earlier; I couldn't help but return it.

'So, what I'm trying to say Ginny, is will you go out with me? And not just on some date because Hogsmeade weekend isn't until next month, and frankly, I don't think I can wait until then. So what I mean is: will you consider being my girlfriend?'

Ginny bought her head closer to mine, her eyes fluttering shut, leaning in until our foreheads were meeting, and I could feel her words vibrating against my own mouth.

'Ron is gonna kill you,' she giggled.

'Let him,' I breathed back, and with that she closed the space between us, more passionately than before, bringing her hands up to writhe through my hair, causing her to lay down fully on the ground, taking me with her. Ginny covered my mouth experimentally in little kisses, never lingering for too long, occasionally nibbling on my lower lip. Her lips parted, and I hesitantly began to caress and tease her tongue with my own, eliciting a moan if delight from within my _girlfriend. _

With that encouraging thought, I took a quick breath of air, and looking at her with renewed vigour.

'What a turn of events,' She murmured, and I carefully pushed against her so as to guide her into a lying down position, her fiery hair fanning out around her, eyes closed in contentment, and took her by surprise. I kissed her again, but properly this time, not just those teasing pecks. Then, simply because it was the easiest thing to do, I positioned my leg over her body so that I was straddling her. She sat up slightly, propped up on one elbow, the other hand draped around my neck, making sure I stayed close to her. I moved with the flow of our kiss; adrenalin pumping through, sparks flying- Merlin, she was amazing.

Everything was going perfectly- of course it was, I had Ginny- but I knew I had to break the kiss when I felt my Jeans tightening. I pulled away, before it became almost impossible for me to stop, chuckled at Ginny's sigh, and flopped down beside her.

'Hey, I was enjoying that!'

I smiled at her eagerness. 'We have time.'

We both knew I was lying.


End file.
